Her Teddy
She kept her teddy close, I saw,
in that last seven years of illness,
and obviously for much longer:
and obviously for much longer:
the same one she’d had as a child.
He was by her big recliner chair
every day, and next to her in bed.
‘When they’re loved,’ she told me,
‘Teddy Bears come to life.’
So I was horrified when her brother
said they cremated him with her.
Then I remembered. She had explained
that between times they go dormant.
And anyway, I rationalised,
it’s not the same kind of being alive
as us – not with a functioning body.
The burning wouldn’t, couldn’t have hurt.
Today I just had to go into Vinnie’s op-shop.
I walked past, but I was drawn back.
And I found him: a teddy, smaller than hers
but otherwise matching, even the clothes.
(Did her dear ghost orchestrate this?)
Of course I brought him home!
I placed him with other mementos of her.
But first I gave him a very long hug.
Sharing at Poets United's Midweek Motif: A MillionYears Howl....
This is cute and sweet!
ReplyDeleteRosemary,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful poem. It appeals to me on so many levels, not least of which is my love for teddy bears and the closeness one can have as a lifetime bond, with such a bear.
Remembrance can be kept, through tokens like a teddy. Reminders and emotional facilitators...
Exactly!
DeleteWait on, nobody asked Teddy whether he wanted to go or not.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know, as I wasn't there when the decision was made (I would have argued against it) – but I suspect they didn't consult him, no. I only hope that, as she had been dead some little time by then, his consciousness had already receded and/or joined hers in the wherever.
DeleteI think she must have put him there, for you. Personally, I hope to be buried with Pup's urn of ashes........so I understand her teddy going with her into the flames, as he had accompanied her everywhere else. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThe family at first said they would keep him as an heirloom (I think he might actually have been a valuable antique) but decided later he should go with her. I can see there is a sort of rightness to it. And yes – (a) she was highly telepathic (b) she loved op-shopping (c) since she died I have been directed several times to op-shops which have just what I want; why not also to one that had something I didn't know I wanted?
DeleteSometimes there is an unseen energy that is all around us but only some can see. You described this well, thank you.
ReplyDeleteJust the sort of conundrum this time of year brings up--if a person or thing becomes more alive when loved, how then is death? I think the teddy consented to both journeys--first to the beyond and then back again. I love how you discover each moment in your poem.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice thought. The one I just bought is only half the size of the original – yet otherwise uncannily like. And perhaps she doesn't need him now ... and perhaps I do.
DeleteOh, after reading this I feel like your last comment makes the final, closure for me:
ReplyDelete"...perhaps she doesn't need him now...and perhaps I do."
That makes the burning feel alright, to me.
This is such a beautifully evocative write, Rosemary! I had tears in my tears as I read through and reached the final lines. Makes me wonder about unseen energy around us and if our loved ones wander near us..
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt of it!
DeleteMy goodness such a sweet poem, luv the teddy bear photo too
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by to read mine
Much💞love
I think he might be quite an old teddy too. (Made in Germany, the label tells me.)
DeleteMemories, they are our gifts to hold us when those who have passed can no longer do it. I love the teddy bear that is a physical bridge between then and now.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThere is sweetness buried in pain here. I do believe that her ghost orchestrated this.
What a sweet poem, and lovable bear.
DeleteThis is a beautifully mysterious elegy, with the new bear a most welcome coincidence.
ReplyDelete